Aircraft



May 24, 1927.

J. w. SILVER AIRCRAFT Filed Dec. a. 1924 o A ORNEY Patented May 24, 1927.A

FFICE.

JESSE W. SILVER, F TACOMA', WASHINGTON. I

AIRCRAFT.

Application filed December 8, 1924, Serial No; 754,537.

This invention relates to improvements in air craft, particularly to dirigible a'ir ships, of that character using a buoyant gas, such as helium, hydrogen,` or the like, as the lifting'medium; it being'the principal object of the invention to provide means for I controlling the contraction or expansion4 of l the 'gas 'as is desired in order to maintain a certain volume of displacement or-whereby the volumeI of the gas may be Varied for the purpose of effecting the displacement of va greateror lesser volume of air and a consequent increase or decrease in the lifting capacity of the ship.

Explanatory to the invention, it will be stated here that in dirigible air ships of the present type, using helium, or the like, as the lifting and sustaining medium, when a sufficient amount of gas is maintained for supporting a ship at a desired elevation for safe cruising or sailing lwith a certain loadl and at a certain temperature, difficulty is eX- perienced in maintaining this elevation'when the temperature suddenly rises or falls; this being due to the fact that temperature changes quickly affect the volume of the gas..` In many instances, times of sailing and of landing have had to be delayed until a change in temperature has caused sufficient increase or decrease in the volume or dis-y placement of gas that the ship .can ascend or descend. In the event that the gas bags, or containers of an air ship, are infiated to a capacity sufficient to lift the ship to a desired elevation'when carrying a cert-ain load at a certain temperature, should the temperature suddenly rise and thus cause the gas to expand, damage is apt to result to the containers due to internal Vpressure and it often occurs that the very expensive gas used has had to be discharged as a matter of safety.

It will further be stated that, due to the fact that a'. ship 'of therpresent character, when in Hight, consumes a certain amount of fuel which passes off in the form of gas, the load carried by the ship is constantly varying and, as a result, ballast, usually in the formof waiter from condensation of moisture, has to be taken on or some of the sustaining gas has to be discharged in order to maintain the elevation of flight.

In view of the aboveL and for other reasons, it has been the object of this invention to equip air ships of the above characterwith gas heating device, gas cooling v purpose devices and means whereby a quick and rapid circulation of -gas through either may be effected to raise or lower its temperature for the purpose of increasing or decreasing its volume of -displacement either to effect an increase or a decrease in its lifting capacity orto control the elevation of flight under varying temperatures. y'

In accomplishing these andl otherobjects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated vin the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a1 dirigible air ship equipped with gas heating a'nd cooling devices embodied by the present invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse, sectional view of the ship, diagrammatically illustrating the disposition ofthe gas heating and cooling devices and the means for circulating the gas therethrough. I

Figure 3 is a detail View of the heating and cooling devices and the control valve mechanism therefor. I l' Referring more in detail to the drawings- Y l designates what may be a dirigible air ship of a type with'which the present invention is adapted to be employed and -which comprises the usual enveloping frame structure 2 of cigar shape, wherein there is located -a plurality of flexible containers, or' bags, 3 adapted to be inflated with gas, such as helium, -or the like, .which serves `as the supporting medium for the ship. In such aircraft, the lifting capacity is dependent upon the volume or displacement of the confined gas and it is known that after the bags 3 have been inflated and closed, their volume will increaseand decrease.

For the purpose of controlling the expanf sion andcontraction ofthe gas and incidentally in this way controlling the lifting capacity of the ship, I have provided means for controllingjthe temperature of the gas, said means comprising a cooling device, designated in its ventirety at 5, and a heating device, designated in its entirety'at 6, and in connection therewith have provided means whereby the gas may be caused to pass through .either of said devices for the l'devices and piping connections therewith,it

'of increasing or decreasing its teni# is to be understood that l do not Wish to be limited only to these particular types for the reason that various other Ways may be devised for heating, cooling and controlling the flow of gas therethrough. The present devices have been shown only for the purpose of illustrating the method whereby the contraction and expansion of gas can be controlled.

The cooling device illustrated consists of a housing enclosing pipe coils 11 through which a cooling medium such as is used in common types of refrigerating plants may be circulated to maintain the housing at a certain degree of temperature. Through this housing a pipe 12 is extended and which at one end connects with a conduit 13 that leads into the upper portion of bag 3 and at its other end connects with the discharge side of a pump of any suitable type, as designated at 14, Which is connected by means ot a pipe 15 with the lower portion of the gas bag.

rlhe heating device shown consists ot a housing 16 containing an electrically heated element 17 about which a pipe coil 18 is wound, this being connected at one end by means of .a conduit 19 with the lower part oi' bag 3 and at its other end with a circulating pump 20 which is connected by a pipe 21 with the top of bag 3. A valve mechanism, in pipes 15 and 21 and which comprises la rotatable element plu 22 having a by pass channel 23 that may e moved to open the passage through either pipe and to close the passage through the other.

designated at 22'is interposed lVith the parts so constructed, should it be desired to reduce the volume of the gas, the valve is adjusted to open pipe 15 and close pipe 21, then pump 14 is started so as to cause gas to be drawn o from the bottom of bag 3, circulated through the cooling device and returned into the top of the bag; this operation being continued until the desired temperature and volume has been reached. v

Likewise, should it be desired to increase the volume of gas, the `valve is adjusted to open pipe 21 and close pipe 15. The pump 2O is then started so as to draw olf gas from the top ot bag 3, deliver it through the heating device and back into bottom of bag 3. n this Way the temperature of the gas may be regulated and its volume controlled in such manner that'the elevation of flight, or lifting capacity maybe varied in accordance with varying conditions of temperature, load, etc. to be considered.

l claim: ln an airship, or the like, comprising a flexible gas container, a heating device and a cooling device, each having a top and bottom connection with the container, a valve mechanism operable to control the circulation through the connections of both the cooling and heating devices, and means for torcing a circulation of gas from and back into the container through the connections of either of said devices. v

Sign-ed at Tacoma, Pierce County, Wash ington, this 17th day of November, 1924. JESSE W. SILVER. 

